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<title>Pick Your Battles by Descended_from_Hufflepuffs</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25728988">Pick Your Battles</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Descended_from_Hufflepuffs/pseuds/Descended_from_Hufflepuffs'>Descended_from_Hufflepuffs</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>AU-gust 2020 [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Lucifer (TV), Prodigal Son (TV 2019)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>AU-gust 2020, Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Stealing Food, vague description of violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 12:02:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>729</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25728988</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Descended_from_Hufflepuffs/pseuds/Descended_from_Hufflepuffs</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Malcolm was lucky to have Mazikeen in a time like this. He just wished she could pick her battles a little better.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Malcolm Bright/Mazikeen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>AU-gust 2020 [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1859431</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Pick Your Battles</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is not a part of the Demon and a Profiler series. This is a work written for AU-gust 2020 and I couldn't think of a better pair for the prompt!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Malcolm counted their supplies with a soft frown. He was sure they’d had more food…. “I think we need to check the perimeter again. We’re still losing food.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How?!” Maze nearly punched the wall in frustration. “I’m doing patrols every hour, all of our walls are in perfect condition, and none of our traps have been tripped, even when we rotate them! There’s no way ANYONE is getting in unless-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Unless they’re already in.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Shit</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re telling me someone that we let into our compound because they needed help is stealing food from us?” Maze looked far too calm for the situation. That was very troubling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Malcolm bit his lip and shrugged. “It’s always possible that my counts were off but I do inventory after every meal and I oversee those personally so I know how much is being used….”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So someone is stealing from us.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...It would appear that way, yes.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maze stayed silent but that didn't stop her fists from clenching and unclenching around an imaginary opponent. He knew she'd handle whoever it was but if he didn't figure out who it was, there would be another problem. She might just make an example of an innocent and that would cause unrest, which was the last thing they needed in the middle of an apocalypse.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's not any of the new guys. Whoever it is knows when I do my counts and is probably sneaking in right after. Plus they know what to take so I don't notice it when I dole out the rations…."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maze just nodded. "That leaves us Martin and Smith. Think they're working together?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's possible. They never did say why their last group left them…."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That's not what matters," she growled. "What matters is making sure they don't do it again." With that, she stormed off and if Malcolm knew anything about her, which he did, he needed to check on their medical supplies next.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>----------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Just once, he wanted his instincts to be wrong. "You could've just kicked them out, you know. You didn't have to fight them," he admonished while he bandaged her cuts.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Have you met me?" She managed to smile despite her split lip. "Besides, now they know not to come back and no one else will try stealing."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm not arguing that. But this stuff is hard to come by and I'd rather not use it if we can avoid it. Like you could've avoided it by kicking them out and maybe firing a warning shot." He closed what was left of their first aid kit and turned away, hiding the tears that threatened to fall.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"...I’m sorry,” she murmured, tugging him back onto the bed with her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I forgive you.” He allowed himself the small comfort of being held. “I just worry about you when you go all ‘warrior-mode’, you know?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know. I’ll try to do better.” Maze kissed his cheek and squeezed him gently, earning her a little shove for straining her injuries. They laid like this for a while, enjoying a rare moment of peace in the wasteland that was now their world. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Malcolm always knew who Maze was, even before everything went to shit. He knew she was a fighter, his best defense in a world of thieves and murderers. But it was a hindrance as much as it was a blessing. Sometimes she fought too much, took too many risks that they just couldn’t afford. Not that Malcolm was a stranger to taking unnecessary risks but right now he was just focused on making it through another day and he would very much prefer it if Maze was there with him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I love you,” he murmured resting his head over her heart. She mumbled something that might’ve been a reply but he didn’t want to disturb the quiet snores that came after. Later she would wake up and be mad at herself for sleeping and do extra patrols and probably try to skip dinner to make up for the loss. And Malcolm would make her eat and make her go to bed at the usual time because he wanted her to be at least somewhat healthy. And maybe one day life would go on and get back to some semblance of safety and normalcy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But for now, they had this little moment of existing and Malcolm wouldn’t trade that for the world.</span>
</p>
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